Related papers: The 2003 Shell Event in eta Carinae
The asymmetric shape of the nebula around $\eta$-Carinae (Homunculus) can be explained by a spherical expansion in a non-homogeneous medium. Two models are analyzed: an exponential and an inverse power law dependence for the density as a…
We have discovered a conspicuous unidentified variable feature near 6307 AA in the spectrum of Eta Carinae which is spatially unresolved from the central star and its wind (r < 200--300 AU). It is significant for two reasons: such prominent…
Context: The bright star eta Carinae is the most massive and luminous star in our region of the Milky Way. Though it has been extensively studied using many different techniques, its physical nature and the mechanism that led to the…
This paper proposes a simple model for the 19th century eruption of Eta Carinae that consists of two components: (1) a strong wind (MdotM=0.33 Msun/yr; v=200 km/s), blowing for 30 years, followed by (2) a 1e50 erg explosion in 1844. The…
Eta Car is one of the most intriguing luminous blue variables in the Galaxy. Observations and models at different wavelengths suggest a central binary with a 5.54 yr period residing in its core. 2D and 3D radiative transfer and hydrodynamic…
Sub-arcsecond resolution Chandra observations of Eta Carinae reveal a 40 arcsec X 70 arcsec ring or partial shell of X-ray emission surrounding an unresolved, bright, central source. The spectrum of the central source is strongly absorbed…
I address uncertainties on the spatial distribution and mass of the dust formed in $\eta$ Carinae's Homunculus nebula with data being combined from several space- and ground-based facilities spanning near-infrared to sub-mm wavelengths, in…
The observed behavior of eta Car from 1860 to 1940 has not been considered in most recent accounts, nor has it been explained in any quantitative model. We have used modern digital processing techniques to examine Harvard objective-prism…
We argue that the asymmetric morphology of the blue and red shifted components of the outflow at hundreds of AU from the massive binary system Eta Carinae can be understood from the collision of the primary stellar wind with the slowly…
We present the results of a high accuracy ($\sigma \approx 0.005%$) polarization monitoring of the Be Star Achernar that was carried out between July 7th and November 5th, 2006. Our results indicate that, after a near quiescent phase from…
We propose that the decline in the near-IR flux from the massive binary system Eta Carinae during the spectroscopic event might be explained by accreted mass that absorbs the radiation from the secondary star, and by that reduces the…
Context: The colliding-wind binary Eta Car exhibits soft X-ray thermal emission that varies strongly around periastron, and non-thermal emission seen in hard X-rays and gamma-rays. Aims: To definitively identify Eta Car as the source of the…
We report our investigation of 1SWASP J234401.81-212229.1, a variable with a 18461.6 s period. After identification in a 2011 search of the SuperWASP archive for main-sequence eclipsing binary candidates near the distribution's short-period…
We have found previously unreported observations of the galactic Luminous Blue Variable $\eta ~Car$ covering the period 1860-1865. Contrary to the current belief, these data suggest that the star reached the first magnitude in 1860-1862,…
Previous submillimetre (submm) observations detected 0.7 solar masses of cool dust emission around the Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) star Eta Carinae. These observations were hindered by the low declination of Eta Carinae and contamination…
It is believed that eta Carinae is actually a massive binary system, with the wind-wind interaction responsible for the strong X-ray emission. Although the overall shape of the X-ray light curve can be explained by the high eccentricity of…
Recent IR observations indicate that many massive binary systems present dust formation episodes, in regions close to the stars, during the periastron passage. These systems are known to be high-energy sources, and it is believed that wind…
The 6307A emission line in the spectrum of Eta Car (Martin et al. 2006) is blue-shifted [S III] 6313A emission originating from the outer wind structures of the massive binary system. We realized the identification while analyzing multiple…
Spectral observations of the massive colliding wind binary Eta Carinae show phase-dependent variations, in intensity and velocity, of numerous helium emission and absorption lines throughout the entire 5.54-year orbit. Approaching…
HD 163296 is a Herbig Ae star that underwent a dramatic $\sim$0.8 magnitude drop in brightness in the V photometric band in 2001 and a brightening in the near-IR in 2002. Because the star possesses Herbig-Haro objects travelling in…